On 5 November 2023 the Yevhen Paton Bridge in Kyiv marked its 70th anniversary. Built in 1953, it became the world's first all-welded long-span bridge.
The unique 1,543-metre structure, with 26 spans and 10,000 tonnes of welded metal components, is engineering evidence of the leadership of the Ukrainian welding school — a legacy of academician Yevhen Paton and the Electric Welding Institute that today bears his name.
Over seven decades the bridge has carried billions of tonnes of traffic and remains a key Kyiv artery even in wartime. The project was performed by the Ukrproektstalkonstruktsiya institute together with the Paton Electric Welding Institute; the builder was Mostobud.